ABOUT

Lily Silvester

Some questions that have guided my investigation are “How do current events affect society’s mental health? Can we always trust our perceptions? How can art help me find meaning in this chaotic time?” These questions are some of the big ideas I explored this year. Throughout history, art has been used as an accessible tool for communication and coping, raising awareness about social issues and affecting positive change. 
This year has been full of chaos and loss for everyone, but through art, I have been able to find hope. Art has allowed me to persevere and cope with the horrific events that are happening in our world. Hopefully, when people see my art, they will see the light at the end of the tunnel and recognize that if they are going through difficult struggles, they are not going through them alone.
For each piece, I chose a current event and then represented the feelings that emerged because of it. I connected my art through text, tones, and textures. The work that began my investigation was my piece titled The Death that Awoke America, a collage piece of George Floyd embedded with news articles about the global awakening surrounding his death This piece showed me the power that art can have, and it taught me that I can portray my voice through each work. Overall it made me want to center my investigation on the current event and our collective mental health, as I wanted everyone to know and feel like they are not alone.